The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has announced a significant financial commitment to football clubs worldwide, earmarking approximately $355 million from its funds. This substantial payout is specifically designated for clubs that release their players to represent their national teams in the highly anticipated FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying rounds across various regions.
This financial distribution to clubs originates from the profits generated by FIFA through its competitions and various sponsorship agreements. Notably, this marks a historic milestone for both FIFA and the World Cup. For the first time ever, football clubs will receive compensation specifically for releasing players to participate in the qualifying stages of the tournament. In previous World Cup cycles, compensation was typically only provided when players advanced to compete in the final tournament rounds.
The planned multi-million dollar disbursements to clubs are part of FIFA’s long-standing Club Benefits Program (CBP), which was initially established ahead of the 2010 World Cup. Under this program, FIFA previously compensated clubs a total of approximately $209 million for the 2018 World Cup held in Russia and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The current $355 million allocation represents a substantial increase of approximately 70 percent compared to the funds distributed after the 2022 tournament in Qatar, highlighting FIFA’s enhanced commitment to clubs.
This significant boost in the FIFA fund, intended for clubs globally, comes following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between FIFA and the European Club Association (ECA) in 2023. This agreement was specifically designed to alleviate the financial and operational burdens on clubs, acknowledging their crucial role in player development and national team success.
According to FIFA’s own data, the Club Benefits Program successfully compensated 440 clubs across 51 FIFA member countries during the 2022 World Cup cycle. These payments were calculated based on the regular income of players from each club who participated in the 2022 World Cup. Premier League giant Manchester City emerged as the top recipient, securing a substantial $4.6 million in compensation during that period.
Despite the overall increase in the fund, there is an anticipation that individual major football clubs releasing players for the 2026 World Cup may receive slightly lower compensation per player compared to previous tournaments. This adjustment follows a strategic decision by FIFA and ECA to broaden the scope of payments, increasing the total number of clubs receiving funds, particularly those whose players participate in the World Cup qualifying rounds.
Furthermore, approximately 900 clubs from 55 UEFA member countries within the European region are also set to receive their share of compensation. These payments will be distributed based on the number of players released and their respective regular wages. However, nations such as Eritrea and Russia, which have been banned from FIFA, AFCON, and UEFA competitions since 2022 and have not participated in qualifying rounds like the other 211 member federations, will unfortunately not be eligible for any compensation from this program.
